


Whom We Never Knew

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F!Byleth, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21651511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Bernadetta surprises herself by having a conversation with her professor in an unconventional place.
Relationships: Bernadetta/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 118





	Whom We Never Knew

**Author's Note:**

> This does contain spoilers pertaining to Byleth, so if you haven't reached chapter... three or four, I don't remember which, you may be spoiled a bit.

Socializing was not a skill that Bernadetta had. If there was a ranking below an E, that would be where she was. Even being around others terrified her, because she was so sure that they were plotting to kill her. Some would say that she was being paranoid, but they didn't see the looks those people had in their eyes. It was pure horror to her. Had they never looked in a mirror?!

The only way she felt comfortable in any way around people was if she walked silently behind them without them knowing. Apparently that was called 'stalking', but she didn't know what else to do. As soon as they found out she was following them, she'd freak out and run for the hills. If they would just stop turning around and catching her, things would be fine. Or at least not truly terrifying.

Today, she was tailing Byleth, her breathing nearly non-existent as she stayed glued to the professor's back. The monastery's newest teacher was such an enigma. She came from a mercenary background, yet didn't seem to remember anything about her prior life. Trying to get answers from her was like finding a needle in a haystack. If someone like the archbishop couldn't do it, then the students didn't have a prayer. Still, she was a fascinating person, and it had led to Bernadetta following her around more than she did anyone else.

She was going somewhere different than usual, though. To Bernadetta's surprise, Byleth walked past the training hall and all the way to a small graveyard, almost hidden away down a flight of stairs. It wasn't an area she'd ever been to before, as graveyards gave her the creeps. However, her curiosity surprisingly superseded her fear, and she hesitantly followed Byleth down.

Their steps halted in front of what looked to be a rather unassuming grave. Bernadetta couldn't read the name of the person buried there, as time had worn the letters away. However, she could see that the epitaph read "Resting in the warm embrace of cherished memories." Such a meaningful yet vague sentence, for a person whom she didn't know, left more questions than answers. Based on the years carved into the stone, whoever they were had died at an age not much older than herself. How sad...

"Bernadetta." She squealed and jumped about a foot in the air, thinking that the ghost of whoever was buried there had risen up to haunt her. Then she realized that she recognized that voice. Looking down, Byleth wasn't looking at her, but it had clearly been her speaking. She blushed, embarrassed that she had thought her own professor was a ghost. Even if her silence often rivaled her own...

"Y-Yes Professor?" Oh no, she'd been caught! And she thought she had been so sneaky too! How had the professor known that she was there? Did she have eyes in the back of her head?! That would explain how she was such a good tactician. It would come in handy when bandits tried to swarm them from behind. 

"You don't have to pretend you're not there. It's okay." What a statement. It was _never_ okay for her to be discovered following someone. They would always get frustrated, and then she knew they were ready to kill her where she stood. Only her quick legs kept her from being cleaved in half by her vengeful classmates. Or really her vengeful _anyone_.

"O-Okay..." She didn't _feel_ like it was okay, but she had little choice but to take the professor at her word. That didn't mean she was going to change what she was doing, though. She continued to stand there silently, staring down at Byleth as she sat in front of the mysterious grave. To the professor's credit, she didn't say anything after that, not forcing Bernadetta to speak like her classmates would. She appreciated that, enough to squeakily voice out her curiosity. "U-Uh, professor?"

"Mm?"

"Who..." She swallowed thickly, worried that asking anything would be stepping over a line she couldn't see. Still, because she felt more comfortable around the professor than anyone else at the school, she took that blind step. "Whose grave is this?" She shut her eyes tightly, as if preparing for some physical force to strike her down for such an impudent question.

"My mother's." _'Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no...'_ She'd done it this time. Not only had she stepped over the line, but that line was right at the edge of a cliff. She might as well be rolling all the way down the Red Canyon after that.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know this was your mother's grave! I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Oh Bernie, you've done it now... You'll have to drop out now. Change schools. Live life as a vagrant-"

"Bernadetta." 

"Y-Yes?!"

"It's okay. You're allowed to ask me any questions, remember?" Oh yeah... She remembered earlier in the school year, when she'd had one of her 'the world's ending' freak outs because she thought she'd asked the professor too personal a question. When Byleth had finally gotten her to calm down, she had told her that she was allowed to ask her whatever questions she wanted. If she didn't have an answer for her, then she would say that she couldn't answer. 

"I... I do remember. Th-Thank you..." She fiddled awkwardly with her hands, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I-I'm sorry, but... I-I didn't know anyone you knew died here..." Every time she learned something about her professor, it just added more mystery to the intense yet calming aura surrounding her. Just when she thought she had learned something major, she would be swept right off her feet by more unknowns.

"I didn't either." See?! How did she not know someone had died there when it was her own mother? Bernadetta was just never going to understand her professor, was she? "My dad never talked much about her. I only learned recently that this grave was hers."

"Jeralt?" It was a widely-held belief among the students that being the daughter of a famous former - and once again current - Knight of Seiros was enough of a trust factor to get Byleth the position of professor despite spending her whole life as a mercenary. It was surprising to her that Jeralt would never mention his own wife to his daughter, though. Out of all the random things her professor didn't know about her own life, this was the most shocking so far. "Wh-Why didn't he tell you about her?"

"I don't know." Well, she should've expected that answer. "But he told me that she was a wonderful woman who loved me more than anything else." Cautiously, Bernadetta walked over towards Byleth's side, standing there and rubbing her arm awkwardly. "He said that he would bring her the prettiest flowers he could find, because she adored them." A ghost of a smile played on her lips, and it made Bernadetta feel a bit more at ease. There had always been something about her professor that made her feel a bit more at ease than anyone else at the monastery, but she had never been sure why. She still wasn't sure, but her voice, even when talking about something so serious, was calming enough that she didn't feel like running away anymore.

"She sounds like a sweet woman." Bernadetta wished that she knew Byleth's mother: she sounded like a really nice person. Her own family life wasn't exactly great, but she couldn't imagine growing up without knowing one of her parents. It may have been nice to have _different_ parents, but she wasn't sure how to truly think about living her entire life without, say, knowing who her mother was. The thought of that made her shudder.

Byleth nodded, the two of them lapsing into silence. Bernadetta continued to fidget in place, but Byleth didn't ask her to stop. She just let her take her socializing at her own pace, which was very much appreciated. Eventually she felt comforted enough that she took a seat next to her professor, hands clasped in her lap as she looked over at Byleth. She wondered what sort of thoughts were going through her head at the moment.

"It's strange..." Byleth spoke after a couple minutes of silence had fallen between the two of them. It made Bernadetta jump, but she quickly righted herself upon remembering who she was with. "I feel a sense of loss when I see her grave, yet I feel nothing here." She placed a hand over her heart, staring down at it with an impassive expression. "There is sadness in knowing that I'll never know my mother, but I've spent my entire life without her. It's like there's a stranger buried here, but one whom I know I care deeply for."

This felt like a moment where she should say something meaningful, but she didn't know what to say. She'd never been good at talking to people in general, much less comforting them in their times of need. Honestly, it was always _her_ who needed the comforting, which she would immediately run away from if it was even offered. Besides, her professor didn't seem upset. Then again, she never did. It was often difficult to tell if she even _had_ emotions in the first place. Was that too rude of a thought?

"I'm sorry you never got to know your mother." She squeezed her hands together tightly, wishing that her voice would stop wavering whenever she tried to speak. "She... She really does sound like she was a nice person, and I'm... I'm sure she would be proud of who you are today." She turned to look at Byleth, and the two of them locked eyes. As always, she couldn't read her professor, but the smile on her face at least let her know that she hadn't gone too far or done too little with what she'd said.

"Thank you, Bernadetta." She broke eye contact to look at the gravestone again, but Bernadetta continued to stare at her. There was just something about Byleth that made her feel... less scared. She didn't want to run, or blabber on about all the mistakes she'd made. Being near Byleth, being in her presence, made her feel safe for the first time in her life. Like no matter where she was, as long as her professor was there, there wasn't anything to worry about. It felt so... so liberating.

"And, um, th... thank _you,_ Professor." Byleth glanced back at her, quirking an eyebrow slightly. "F-For not giving up on me. I know I'm... r-really difficult, b-but you've always been here for me, and knowing that you have my back makes me feel... safe." She found herself smiling, which surprised her. It was more surprising when the smile didn't fade. "If it wasn't for you, I would've never come out of my room except to go to your classes."

"I'm glad I can make that sort of impact." Byleth smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "There's more to life than what's in your room."

"I-I know that!" She pouted, but she found herself leaning into Byleth's touch. It was the kind of soft touch that she'd never really felt before. All her life, people had tried to mold her into someone that she wasn't. Now, sitting next to her professor in such a somber setting, she felt like she could finally be whoever _she_ wanted to be. Admittedly, she didn't know who she wanted to be, but she could feel the shackles others had put on her start to loosen. They hadn't rusted and fallen off her wrists and ankles yet, but she felt that they could someday, and it was all thanks to the woman sitting next to her. She would have never become someone who could work with others without Byleth.

They sat together for awhile longer, making small talk but mostly sitting in a comfortable silence. Bernadetta never minded the silence, since she usually didn't have anything to say that wasn't self-deprecating. She also could tell that this was one of those moments where it was warranted, and she didn't want to break the atmosphere that had engulfed the two of them. Despite the two of them sitting in the monastery's graveyard, she actually felt more positive than negative for the first time in... maybe ever.

"I think we should head back now." Bernadetta blinked, looking up at the sky. When had the sun started to go down? She'd been completely zoned out, having forgotten that time was passing around her. Byleth was right, though: eventually it would get dark, and there was not enough comfort in the world to make her stay in a graveyard without the light of the sun.

"Okay." The two of them stood up and started to walk back to their respective rooms. Bernadetta walked behind Byleth while they ascended the stairs, but once they were on flat ground again, she walked side by side with her. After getting to spend more time with her professor, she felt confident enough to walk within her vision. She didn't feel like she had to hide herself away behind her back, even if she always inevitably got found out.

"Professor?" They were standing in front of her room, and she knew they were about to separate for the evening. She didn't want their day to end without her saying _something_ , but it was a struggle to get the proper words out. "I-I wanted to thank you again. I-I know I already said it, but I... I feel so much better when I'm around you. You're the best professor I could ever have, and... and I... I hope that your mother is happy up there, knowing that her daughter is s-such a great person!" Oh Goddess, how embarrassing! Had she really just said all that?

"I appreciate that, Bernadetta." Byleth smiled and patted her on the head one more time. It almost made her want to purr, which would've made things _more_ embarrassing. "I hope she is too." She wasn't sure what to say after that, but in a way, it felt like neither of them had to say anything. There was an unspoken tranquility between them, and Bernadetta was desperate to hold onto that feeling for as long as she could. "Have a good evening, Bernadetta."

"Y-You too!" She waved at her professor, then opened her doors and went into the safety of her room. Once the doors were closed again, she wobbled over to her bed and fell face-first onto it. There was a warmth enveloping her body, and it wasn't because of the temperature. Byleth made her feel secure, like a human version of her room. Her stomach was doing flips just thinking about her professor.

After a few minutes of breathing in her bedcovers, she pushed herself up and walked over to her desk, where a stuffed bear was sitting on a chair. She picked it up and carried it back to the bed, where she sat down and hugged it to her chest. The bear had been given to her by Byleth early on in the school year, and she'd been treasuring it ever since. She didn't know how, but her professor had known exactly what kind of gift she'd like, and she couldn't bear to be away from it for too long. Especially not after what happened today.

A smile played on her lips as she hugged the bear tightly. She was really looking forward to spending more time with her professor. Next time, she wouldn't be tailing her in secret, but walking right up to her like a normal girl would do. The thought scared her, but it also boosted her resolve. Her room was still her safe haven, but it wasn't the only one anymore. She could feel the same way whenever she was with Byleth, and she was already thinking about what the two of them might talk about next time. For the first time, she couldn't wait to leave her room!


End file.
